Under the Eye of the Big BirdUnder the Eye of the Big Bird
What it's about
Hiromi Kawakami's speculative novel imagines a far-future Earth where humans are nearing extinction, and rethinks reproduction, ecology, evolution, artificial intelligence, communal life, love and what it means to be human.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the International Booker Prize. It's a strange, beautiful and haunting book.
You'll love it if you liked
Never Let Me Go
Klara and the Sun
ExhalationGood to know
It's translated from Japanese and spans vast stretches of time.
By the numbers
- Readers36 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics27 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller13 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz72 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #186 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #282 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #322 of the 481 new books we rank
- #1874 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Adventurous, Dark
If you like this, read next
The Tainted Cup
A Drop of Corruption
The Will of the Many
The Everlasting
Cloud Cuckoo Land
BabelExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Under the Eye of the Big Bird worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the International Booker Prize. It ranks #1,874 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Under the Eye of the Big Bird about?
Hiromi Kawakami's speculative novel imagines a far-future Earth where humans are nearing extinction, and rethinks reproduction, ecology, evolution, artificial intelligence, communal life, love and what it means to be human.
How long does it take to read Under the Eye of the Big Bird?
About 7 hours (278 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Under the Eye of the Big Bird?
If you liked it, try Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro or Exhalation by Ted Chiang.